Photographer's Note

I have posted several photos from very close to where I live on Södermalm island in Stockholm, but I can't get any closer than here. This is actually the house where I live.

On Sunday the City Commissioner for culture and a number of culture bureaucrats are expected to arrive for the formal inauguration of this mural covering the gables of the two buildings of my small housing society, plus a wooden plank between them, outside our common garden. We had been suffering from illegal and very ugly graffiti for years until those in the city responsible for public art and maintenance of parks offered to clean the walls and cover them with a huge painting as an effort to get rid of the pointless vandalism.

We gladly accepted, and for the last couple of weeks this graffiti artist calling herself Amara Por Dios has been working here. In fact, work is still going on. She describes her art as being influenced by Latin American traditions and myths, among other things. I think this could be seen as a collection of tropical fantasy flowers.

Hi Gert,in effect the facade of your house needs a bit of colors...eheh...now is done,and it's truly a very artistic work,i can see the full view in the WS and it's very very nice. I show sometimes pics of my bar and now it's nice too to take a look where you live! Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

Hello Gert,
I don't think you could ask for a more colourful mural than this:-) Excellent capture with the artist on her cherry-picker ideally placed to make a focal point. Splendid colours and clarity.

Hello Gert,
This is going to be a very nice and bright mural so close to your house, so much better than all kinds of random graffiti tags. Great capture of the work in progress. I really like the POV you chose, so close to the artwork itself, showing it from a great angle.
Lars

I don't mind when negative space is filled with colorful artwork rather than the awful tagging more prevalent in ghettos. These giant flower murals look great and good to see the man has a facemask so he doesn't pass out inhaling fumes! Tfs!

Good day.
Nice view, interesting text ...
Good work with beautiful photographs in the workshop, beautifully shown murals, good contrast and sharpness, nice colors, nice moment.
Beautiful murals, beautiful colors and details.
I wish you a nice day, all the best.

very nice to have a huge mural even in your garden. nice this view with the artist working in her work. nice details of the piece of art. yes, in many countries, especially in brazil, we can find terrible graffities created by vandals, some of them put even their lives in risk in the top of skyscrapers. sometimes I feel in our modern society many young people use their empty time for nothing, there is an empty space in their lives proportioned by lack of family love, work, faith or another aspect.. not for chance so many young "rich" people goes to terrorism, drugs and vandalism..

Hello Gert
I suppose a large curtain will be placed covering the mural after the artist is ready, in order to enable the local authorities and other KS (known Swedes) to withdraw the curtain next Sunday. The maybe will even though a bottle of Champagne against it the baptize this lovely mural. But, as we say in the Netherlands: all jokes on a stick, It is a splendid idea and excellent action to combat pointless vandalism.
Lovely series.
Have a nice day. Groet Rob

I like beautiful murals and I think it is a good interperetation of this work: fantasy flowers, very nice scene. I think it is a great idea to decorate the walls with such colorful murals
regards Ryszard

Hello dear Gert and have a nice time
art is always interesting
I like the inspirations and generally
people who make this art
I am expecting more photos from you
with the same subject
regards
Costantino

As someone who has become used to browsing your gallery for unusual photographs from rarely visited places and often from several years ago, now I am confronted not just with a photograph from your native Sweden but a photograph of your very own house!

I found your note fascinating and I do hope that the efforts of Amara Por Dios are not in vain and that an end is finally put to the illegal and ugly graffiti which previously graced these walls.

This painting is truly delightful and you have captured it very well in this fine trio of photographs which also clearly show us the artist at work. Lovely light and true colours, perfect exposure and exquisite details and clarity.

hello Gert, Wow, what a work of art you will have on the wall of your house. Splendid idea of the City Comissioner. And great attraction for all these who live there to see the working artist and how such big murals are made. It looks artistic and probably the scarf she is wearing , so well matching the painting, is also her work. Have you waved her from your window? Or maybe she will look at your room from this platform, haha.
Must be great fun, You will show us the ready masterpiece for sure.

Hello Gert,
lucky for the chance from the public art team to clean from the old ugly graffiti the wall of the backdrop yard and at the same time to cover it with this beautiful and colourful graffiti,and even for free.
I like the beautiful presentation as the clarity of the scene.

Art on your doorstep, you can't ask for anything better than this. How good to have a commissioned piece of art to negate all the scrappy graffiti. This must make your neighbourhood feel really fresh and cheerful.
Thank you for adding the w/s; now I can appreciate the situation of this very lively piece of art. You have supplied us with 3 fine photographs showing the art from different perspectives, all sharp, all well saturated and pleasingly informative.

Hello Gert.
Very good idea, that these empty walls, which only serve as slate for vulgar graffiti, now serve to show this beautiful grafitti, which is like a floral fantasy, with a spectacular chromatism, my congratulations for your decision.
Colorful, sharpness and brightness are captured excellently.
Very good composition, magnificent presentation.
Have a good weekend.
Warm greetings.
Luis.

Hi Gert
cool, very cool indeed. So we're allowed to post our homes on TE but not our animals that live in it? anyways, i'll have to check out the MAP feature when i'm done here and see exactly where you live haha...maybe you'll hear a knock on the door!

Very interesting story to go along with the photo, the story is so important and vital. Same goes for the WS's, we can see more clearly what the artist is working on and the larger picture. It must be hard to conceptualize the entire piece of art when its so large but you can only work on such a small piece of it at a time.

Hello Gert,
Your building has some fancy urban art now. :-) I wonder if all the residents like it... Nice trio of photos, allowing us to see the artist at work. I also like the brick building behind yours. It has some nice accents under the windows and looks very elegant.

Hello Gert,
So now you live in a work of art!
A great idea of the city council officials not just to remove the ugly graffiti but to provide these walls with beautiful murals. I have no idea how big the problem with graffiti is but possiblly Stockholm will turn into a multi coloured city. (I'm talking about the buildings of course)
I really like the picture in the WS with the light shining through the trees on the part of the wall above the mural. At first I wondered what was that colour. From that photo I can deduce that you get lots of outside light in your apartment. Very important, I think. I have it also where I live.
Best regards, Paul

This mural is really beautiful, creative and colourful. Good choice and I hope it helps as a deterrent against vandalism. Hopefully we'll see some photos when it has been completed.
Good title!
Have a nice evening
Kasia

Hi Gert,
This is the solution to wild graffiti they seem to have adopted in many places, and it's fine ! It makes the places more interesting, while free from vandalism !
It's good of you to show the artist at work, and I like the inclusion of the few leaves left on the tree !
It's a nice, colourful, flowery mural. Did the members of the housing society choose the subject or pattern ? Thanks for sharing.
Marie-Louise.

Hello Gert,
What a colorful photo, with the giant mural in the making! I have seen many murals in my lifetime, but never seen one while it was being painted. Very nice catch!
Regards,
MT
PS. I know which president you meant, but the one you meant is a gentleman compared to the one I mentioned.